Archives for January 2018

Panama City, Fla. – Toys “R” Us is planning to close more than 100 of its stores across the country. The troubled retailer, which declared bankruptcy in September, is looking to close down as many as 182 outlets, according to a court filing, Tuesday, which blamed the decision on a shift toward online shopping. The planned closures are expected to begin early next month, according to a post on the company’s website. The Panama City location is not on the list.
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PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – The Panama City Police Department says they have located a missing elderly woman who suffers from dementia. Police said when they located Wattie Crowder, 81, who had walked away from her home at the Andrew’s Place Apartment on Frankford Avenue Tuesday morning, she appeared to be unharmed..
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Panama City Beach, Fla. – The shocking confessions of two children in a cyberstalking incident that was allegedly connected to the suicide of a Surfside Middle School student were released Tuesday. One of the students admitted she started rumors about 12-year-old Gabriella Green, who took her own life, and the other encouraged her suicide, according to a Panama City Beach Police report. The investigation determined that cyber-bullying was not the sole cause of Gabriella’s death.
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PANAMA CITY — Several parents expressed concerns about how Bay District School officials are responding to cyberbullying. During this weeks board meeting parents called for the removal of Surfside’s Principal and Superintendent, following what they say was a non action response to the Jan. 10 death of a Surfside Middle School student who was bullied via social media.
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PANAMA CITY — One elderly Panama City woman is lucky she had a former firefighter for a neighbor, when she got trapped inside her burning home, Tuesday morning. Former Panama City firefighter Todd Flitcraft had pulled the woman to safety when crews arrived at the home on Woodridge Lane Tuesday morning, which was fully engulfed in flames, as reported by the News Herald. The homeowner suffered serious injuries, but she was alert and conscious as emergency crews rushed her to the hospital, officials said.
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BAY COUNTY – Environmental issues is what Bay County wants to spend a portion of the money they get from the Deepwater Horizon oil-spill damages fund. The county is supposed to receive $12 million during the next 15 years has requested its share be spent on environmental projects, including installing central sewer service in the area around Deer Point Lake as well as other water quality improvements in St. Andrew Bay.
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Gulf County Sheriff’s deputies with assistance from FWC and Bay County police, spent Monday morning searching for an armed and dangerous man in Wewahitchka. 40 year-old David Anthony Hysmith, allegedly beat up, threatened to shoot, and then forced a woman at gunpoint to drive him to a remote location in Wewa, where he tried to escape police. He was caught and is facing several charges.
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Area police are reminding residents not to leave their keys in the car. The message comes after the owner of Whataburger on US highway 98 reported a car theft over the weekend. Authorities say the driver left her keys inside the vehicle. Soon after, the vehicle was stolen and found crashed west of Panama City beach, along with the suspect, who was taken to the hospital to be checked out, then booked into jail on grand auto theft charges.
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BAY COUNTY, Fla. – A registered Bay County sex offender has been arrested on multiple charges. Sheriff’s office officials say 33 year-old John Lee Hutcheson is accused in connection to a car jacking Friday morning just off East Avenue, in which the victim says Hutcheson choked her until she lost consciousness and then stole her vehicle while she was still in the car. She was able to escape and get help. Authorities located and arrested Hutcheson shortly after the incident.
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PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – The first anniversary of the annual Women’s March was marked this weekend with hundreds of thousands lining the streets in cities across the United States, including right here at home. Members of groups like Bay Indivisible, the Democratic Women’s Club and others, gathered to march for women’s rights and voting rights, as the theme this year was “Power to the Polls”. Environmental rights were also a concern, organizers said, as well as inspiring people to get involved.
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